Review: Fairmont Le Château Frontenac | ALL

Since 1893, the Fairmont Le Château Frontenac in Quebec City has looked out majestically over the St. Lawrence River. Located in Old Quebec, it is situated at the top of Cap Diamant.

Over the years, this 610-room hotel has been the most photographed hotel in the world and has hosted many celebrities from around the world.

I have always wanted to sleep in this historic castle, for as long as I can remember.

However, I had a problem: my budget at the time did not really allow it. But I found a way to afford it for less and without going into debt (my tips are below).

So, in order to celebrate an important wedding anniversary, I booked using my tips at the Fairmont Le Château Frontenac to celebrate this event with my husband and the kids.

From St-Louis street, the entrance to the hotel is after passing under the arches. Parking is by valet only, at a cost of $40 per day. The entries and exits are unlimited.

There are free charging stations for electric vehicles. Upon arrival, the valet plugs in the car. So, ours had a 100% full battery when we left.

When we want to leave, we just have to call the Royal Service of the hotel about fifteen minutes in advance so that our car is ready and directly at the entrance.

The Fairmont’s customer service has always been fabulous. Having stayed at the Fairmont Manoir Richelieu and the Fairmont Tremblant, we found the same attention to detail. The staff makes sure that everything is to our liking and has all the answers to our questions.

When we arrived, the last day of the Quebec Winter Carnival was in full swing and the lobby was particularly busy. Despite this, we did not wait long to register.

Here is a view of the reception, when it was much quieter.

Then, we received the keys, information on the activities during our stay as well as 4 free tickets of the day for the Dufferin Terrace slide, including 4 free beverages.

We were on the 5th floor, just upstairs from the main entrance and the valets. Despite the constant arrival and departure of vehicles during the day, we could not hear anything from our room. Everything was well soundproofed.

The decor of the room was modern and warm, in shades of brown, beige and vintage blue.

Two large strawberries dipped in pink chocolate were waiting for us on the desk, along with a card of the Château Frontenac. The note congratulated us on our anniversary.

French doors led us to the bathroom, with its white and gray marble walls.

It was rather small, but functional.

Three restaurants are available for guests of the Château Frontenac.

Bistro Le SAM: For lunch and dinner
Dufferin Place: Offers breakfast and fabulous afternoon tea
Champlain Restaurant: Open in the evening for gourmet meals and a splendid Sunday brunch

In addition, adjacent to the hotel, at the Dufferin Terrace, is a Starbucks.

There is also the 1608 Bar, which was temporarily closed due to sanitary measures during our stay. They have a wide selection of specialty drinks of all kinds. It has since reopened.

We opted for Place Dufferin for breakfast. The view of the Dufferin Terrace was magnificent, with dog walkers and joggers walking in front of us.

The pool and fitness room are located on the 6th floor. I couldn’t train because the gym was closed when I came. It has since reopened.

On the first floor, there is a large playroom. You can play pool, ping-pong and babyfoot.

Many board games in French and English are available, from simple card games to Toc, Rummy, Scrabble, Finders Keepers to a 1,500 piece puzzle.

For each night spent at the Fairmont Le Château Frontenac, a $20 guest experience fee is added. Activities vary according to the seasons and events in Quebec City.

I don’t carry this kind of fee in my heart. But it was beneficial for what it brought us afterwards.

When we came in February, the services offered included the loan of sports and leisure equipment, such as snowshoes, fatbikes, crazy carpets and other games for winter activities. It was perfect to go for a walk in the Plains of Abraham, without bringing all the necessary equipment from home.

Also, we enjoyed the Dufferin Terrace slides ($11 value for 4 people) and free hot drinks for each day.

Fairmont Le Château Frontenac also offers yoga classes and discounts for museums, alcohol tasting workshops and guided tours. Families can do a scavenger hunt or a rally.

The two nights at the Fairmont Château Frontenac were $319 each.

My #1 tip: Thanks to Destination Quebec City’s free second night promotion, the $319 second night was taken off my bill. The only thing left to pay was taxes.

So the total bill was $620.

This 2-night stay at the Fairmont Le Château Frontenac included:

• one night at $319 (and the second at $0),
• $ 115 for meals at Place Dufferin restaurant,
• taxes and a $20 per night customer experience fee,
• valet parking of $40 per night.

Tip #2: Use my credit card points to pay part of the hotel bill.

I booked my stay with my National Bank World Elite card . Currently, there is an exclusive promotion for Milesopedia readers, which offers up to 70,000 points and a $150 annual fee refund for the first year.

My point balance is just over 38,000 points. Every 12,000 points earns $100 in credit.

So, I have enough to use 36,000 points, saving $300 on my hotel stay.

I could also have booked a hotel with my points through the National Bank’s Travel Agency à la Carte, which would have required only 10,000 points for a $100 credit.

But to get the 2nd night free promotion, I absolutely had to book directly on the Fairmont Le Château Frontenac website.

So, after my stay, I went into my NBC credit card profile to redeem my points. In the My Rewards section at the very bottom, select “Redeem“, under the Travel section.

Another window will open to select the desired credit card .

There are also other ways to redeem NBC rewards points, but since I wanted to celebrate an important date and treat ourselves, I opted for the trip!

Then I click on “Refund your last stay“.

I select the 36,000 points needed, which gives me a nice $300 credit on my travel expense. I click on“Exchange“.

There you go ! It’s done.

A confirmation page will then appear.

The $300 credit will appear on my credit card account within 72 hours. I will be able to see the deduction on my next credit card statement.

Within seconds, you will also receive an e-mail confirmation.

In total, the savings is $619 for my wonderful stay :

• $300 with my NBC rewards points
• $319 thanks to Destination Québec City’s promotion for the second free night

So on net, my stay cost $160 per night for my stay at the fabulous Fairmont Le Château Frontenac. This is excellent, especially for a luxury hotel of this size!

Plus, I could check this item off my bucket list. Stay at the Fairmont Le Château Frontenac: Done!

This luxurious stay lived up to the expectations of the whole family.

The refined customer service, the services offered and the soft beds were perfect. For this high level of service, location and quality, the price was justified.

On the other hand, it is always surprising to find that the staff I interacted with remembered my name throughout my stay!

The most beautiful memory of the children was the slides on the Dufferin Terrace. But for my husband and I, this celebration at the Fairmont Le Château Frontenac was much more romantic! Mission accomplished.